Here at OGVAT-S Culture, we work to affirm our identity. In psychology, affirming your identity is a serious matter that can save you from depression and other severe mental health problems.
People with sensory issues often struggle with everyday situations like loud traffic noise, bright sunlight, itchy clothes, or tight shoes. Due to social rules that are not tailored to their needs, they cannot freely use specific coping strategies to overcome these problems (e.g., wearing lightweight clothing even in winter, using sunglasses in the evening or indoors, or going barefoot in public places that are not risky) without facing many questions and misunderstandings.
If you walk around wearing hearing protectors, people might yell at you for being distracted or dangerous.
If you wear lightweight clothing even in winter or go barefoot in public places, people will mistake you for a crazy person or a drug addict.
It is not attention-seeking or craziness
We don’t do this for attention-seeking, craziness, or sloppiness. For people with sensory hypersensitivity, the constant touch of clothes with unpleasant textures can be challenging; loud noises and bright lights can be painful and lead to meltdowns.
On the other hand, using only certain types of clothing (like leather, vegan leather, flannel, or satin) or constantly feeling different textures and temperatures by going barefoot can help regulate emotions, reduce mental noise, and overcome stress and anxiety. It’s not fetishism or attention-seeking—it’s simply a healthy coping strategy, much healthier than smoking, binge eating, substance abuse, or relying on unnecessary prescription drugs.
It’s a safe coping strategy, but it’s also our identity
It’s about surviving in a world not tailored for us, but it’s also about affirming that “we exist.” Wearing a mask in everyday life, both indoors and outdoors, would drive anyone crazy. We already have complex conditions that are not easy to handle, and not being able to just be ourselves in a harmless way is totally unnecessary.
Be now your true self,
Al – founder